Tip #1: Plan your travel dates 📅

Mind your heads! Ditch the umbrellas and opt for a cap on your hikes

China is a HUGE country = domestic tourism is incredibly strong there = expect larger crowds during the holidays. Escape bigger crowds by avoiding the local school holiday periods using this link: https://publicholidays.cn/school-holidays/. We travelled at the tail end of July and it was pretty swarmed, so keep your social battery prepared!

Tip #2: Consider day trips to make the most of your visit ✍️

The Huayan Temple Pagoda in Datong Ancient City

Maximise your exploration while you’re here and make a day trip out to a nearby province! You’ll be surprised by how a 2-hour train ride can transport you to a totally different landscape, with their own unique street food and culture. We went to Datong while in Beijing, and Leshan while in Chengdu, and had the time of our life snacking and exploring their streets. 

Datong, part of Shanxi province, is home to the iconic knife-cut noodles — one of the region’s most beloved specialties.

Tip #3: Book high-speed rail train tickets early 🎟️

High-speed rail train platform

Even if you’re not travelling to China during the school holidays, it’s still a good idea to book your train tickets at least 2 weeks in advance, and even earlier if you’re travelling to popular destinations like Jiuzhaigou (which is so beautiful!), where train and attraction tickets tend to sell out pretty quickly. 

A very important FYI: If you booked your train tickets on Trip.com like we did, your passport is your train ticket. There is no issued QR code or digital/physical ticket that will be handed to you. They will scan your passport directly, so don’t forget to bring it along with you to the train station!

Tip #4: “I only managed to get a standing ticket! 😖”

Let’s say you couldn’t secure good train seats in time. Fret not, it happens! We only managed to secure standing tickets for our high-speed rail to Jiuzhaigou and the 2 hour ride flew by really quickly. First, look out for a carriage number on the top right of the screen at the second security check when you scan your passport. This car is specifically for standing tickets, but you could stand in between carriages too, no problem. 

You’ll still be able to store your luggages at the front and/or back of carriages, so you can still enjoy your ride hands-free. We stored ours all the way at the front of the train, while we stood in the standing carriage, and slowly made our way to it once our train ride was coming to an end. 

On trains with several stops, you may get lucky and find a seat for part of the journey, like we did until the next stop! If not, pick a nice spot by the window, grab a snack from the in-train bar (on high speed rails), and enjoy the view. We’ve seen people use their luggages as seats, which was honestly a pretty genius idea.

Tip #5: Fly domestic if trains and crowds aren’t your thing ✈️

There are various Chinese airlines that have an extensive network, which means they can take you to different cities within China. We flew from Beijing to Chengdu, and Chongqing to Shanghai, with Air China, who can connect you to an impressive 130 destinations within Mainland China. These flights are a good option that could help conserve your energy if you get easily drained by crowds (looking out for you introverts)! 

Tip #6: Use ONE booking platform for all your needs 🧳

The Temple of Heaven basking in that sunset glow~

We booked our flights, stays, airport transfers, train tickets, attractions, even our e-sims, on Trip.com. It goes without saying that having one platform that consolidates all your travel needs is super convenient. The entire process from searching, to booking — even their English-speaking 24/7 helpline, — is very responsive and smooth, give it a shot! Highly recommend you use their mobile app for even greater convenience.

Something cool we found out about their airport transfers is that there’s an unlimited waiting time! If your flight gets delayed, Trip.com will automatically notify your driver, and there’s no need to stress about cancellations here.

Tip #7: Our top pick for WALLETS 🤑

Just look for the Alipay+ acceptance mark!

Use Changi Pay to pay like a local in China — ZERO transaction fees with very competitive exchange rates. Just look out for the Alipay+ acceptance QR code, which you can find in pretty much every other establishment in China. Here’s how you can set Changi Pay up: https://www.changiairport.com/en/help/changi-app/changi-pay/overseas-payment.html 

Since Changi Pay only works with verified Alipay AND Alipay+ merchants, transfers to individuals, for example, would not work. Hence we do recommend still having WeChat Pay set up just in case. 

You’ll see Alipay and Alipay+ QRs nearly everywhere in China’s cashless and all-digital society, which means the acceptance rate of Changi Pay is still really high. So if you have a Singaporean phone number, we highly suggest using Changi Pay as your main wallet for a fuss-free experience, since you can use it in other countries too!

Tip #8: Still have Alipay on standby ✅

On the topic of essential apps, Alipay is still a non-negotiable app to download for travel to China. It offers many useful services — from hailing cabs to checking public transport timings — all within the app itself, without needing to download multiple third-party apps.

Alipay homepage, where you can access useful apps like Didi.

Tip #9: Research using Xiao Hong Shu (Rednote) and Dianping 🍽️

From our hole-in-the-wall homey restaurants to futuristic cafe pop ups, we found all the spots in our videos on Dianping and Rednote, which you can use without a VPN. And not just food spots, it covers anything lifestyle, retail and more.

As bananas (Chinese Singaporeans with a poor command of Mandarin), it was such a relief to find translation options from Chinese to English on these apps while doing research, so we could read reviews and judge the places properly.